Former President George W. Bush on Wednesday congratulated President-elect Donald Trump’s victory during Tuesday’s presidential election.
“The strong turnout in this election is a sign of the health of our republic and the strength of our democratic institutions. Laura and I are grateful to the election officials, poll workers, and volunteers who oversaw a free, fair, safe, and secure election,” Bush said in a statement, referring to former First Lady Laura Bush.
“We join our fellow citizens in praying for the success of our new leaders at all levels of government,” the Republican former commander-in-chief added, while also thanking President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “for their service to our country.”
Bush did not endorse any candidate in the 2024 election, despite calls from former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican and the daughter of his former vice president, to back Harris. Former Vice President Dick Cheney had issued a statement saying he is endorsing Harris for president.
Trump defeated Bush’s younger brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, during the 2016 Republican presidential primary before he won the general election to secure his first term.
In a social media statement Wednesday, Liz Cheney wrote that Americans should accept Trump’s win and that “our nation’s Democratic systems functioned last night” during the election.
“Citizens across this country, our courts, members of the press and those serving in our federal, state and local governments must now be the guardrails of democracy,” she added.
The Epoch Times contacted a Bush spokesperson in September regarding his possible endorsement, but the spokesperson declined to comment.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter have not yet publicly offered comments on Trump’s win. And neither have Harris or Biden, although Harris is expected to give a concession speech later Wednesday.
Since stepping away from politics in 2009, Bush has kept a relatively low profile and did so during both the first Trump administration and Biden administration. In contrast, both Obama and Clinton had stumped for Harris in multiple battleground states during the 2024 contest.
As recently as this past weekend, Obama spoke to rally attendees in Wisconsin again made a plea for undecided voters in the battleground to back Harris. The Associated Press has projected that Trump will win Wisconsin by around 30,000 votes.
And Clinton spoke to attendees of an event in North Carolina last week. Trump is also projected to win that state as well, according to AP.
Aside from those two battleground states, the race has been called for Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Results from Arizona and Michigan are still to come. AP and other news outlets are predicting that Trump will win the popular vote, too.
Trump and his wife Melania Trump had met with George and Laura Bush ahead of former President George H.W. Bush’s funeral in late 2018.
